I was very grateful to have a very warm reception to Strange Sea for orchestra in Malmö on October 6th, 2022 when the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, under Robert Trevino, gave the world-premiere. It was very touched by the many comments that members of the audience and the orchestra made. The MSO is an excellent orchestra… read more
CLORINDA AGONISTES U.K. premiere & fall U.K. tour dates
This coming July will see the long delayed premiere of CLORINDA AGONISTES at The Grange Festival, in Hampshire U.K. You may read more about this project here and video preview is below. Tickets are on sale now for the World Premiere at Grange Festival, Hampshire, and the autumn dates have just been announced. The Grange Festival –… read more
2021 Copland House Residency awards announced
The 2021 Copland House Residency Awards have been announced and I am very grateful to have been chosen as one of the nine composers to receive this award this year. I am looking forward to spending four weeks in 2022 at the Copland House working on a song cycle for mezzo-soprano and orchestra. More details… read more
“Strange Sea” for orchestra completed
This past summer I completed a new work for the Malmö Symphony Orchestra titled Strange Sea. This work takes its title, and its inspiration from a poem by Swedish poet Edith Södergran. A poem by the brilliant Palestinian-Syrian-Swedish poet, Ghayath Al-Madhoun is also a source of inspiration for my orchestral work. This work will have… read more
Kareem Roustom honors victims of racial violence with new violin concerto
Led by principal guest conductor Gemma New, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra will premiere the work on Thursday, with its principal second violinist, Angela Fuller Heyde. Read more here.
“Violin Concerto No. 2: with might and main” Dallas World premiere
This past May the wonderful Dallas Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Gemma New and with Angie Fuller-Heyde as soloist, gave the premiere of my second violin concerto, which is subtitled ‘with might and main’. You may hear the recording of the premiere and read the program notes here.
Clorinda Agonistes (Clorinda the warrior): A new opera/dance work
A new hybrid opera/dance work written to accompany Monteverdi’s ‘Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda’
New classical work brings women of ‘The Odyssey’ to the fore (The Boston Globe)
“here must have been at least a slight sense of déjà vu for Kareem Roustom when he was approached to compose his recent work “Hurry to the Light.” The idea for the piece came from the string orchestra A Far Cry, whose season-ending concert on May 17 is a collaboration with Lorelei Ensemble, the inventive female vocal ensemble.… read more
Ice, Wind, War & Spring • for mixed chorus and orchestra update
Some works need more time than others and this new work is no exception . The most difficult part of writing vocal music, at least for me, is putting someone else’s words into my mouth. Choosing text for a work such as this was time consuming and difficult, but very rewarding. To begin with there… read more
World-premiere of “Clarinet Concerto: Adrift on the Wine-dark Sea”
After years of planning and patiently waiting, clarinetist Kinan Azmeh premiered my Clarinet Concerto in Southern Germany with the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen under the direction of Fawzi Haimor. Kinan’s performance was stunning (as was his encore solo performance) and maestro Haimor gave a superb and focused performance with his excellent colleagues at the Württembergische Philharmonie… read more
Turn To The World: A Whitman Cantata • World-premiere reviews and photos
The Chicago Tribune wrote: “Nothing spotlights the Grant Park Music Festival’s value more significantly than the premieres it commissions, and an impressive one took place on Friday night. At first glance, “Turn to the World: A Whitman Cantata” – by composer-in-residence Kareem Roustom – might have suggested a look back at the 19th century ethos… read more
“Hurry To The Light” Premiere update
At Boston’s Jordan Hall this past Friday May 17th saw the premiere of a new work, Hurry To The Light, that was co-commissioned by the Grammy-nominated string orchestra A Far Cry and the women’s chorus Lorelei Ensemble. This work is based on a new translation by Emily Wilson of Homer’s The Odyssey . The Boston Globe… read more
Violin Concerto No. 1 Premiere update
Last Wednesday March 6 my Violin Concerto No. 1 had it’s premiere at the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin with soloist Michael Barenboim along with the Pierre Boulez Ensemble under the direction of Lahav Shani. The performance was electric, inspired and inspiring. Both the soloist and the ensemble played with fire and passion! [Also on… read more